Letter from Department of the Secretary of State, to Libero Sauro, June 21, 1943

Letter from the Department of the Secretary of State, Office of the Custodian, to Libero Sauro, June 21, 1943.

Rev. Libero Sauro was arrested on September 7, 1940 and held at Don Jail before being transferred to Petawawa Internment Camp.

The Custodian of Enemy Property (CEP) was a branch of the Canadian government that oversaw the administration of assets belonging to internees and other enemy aliens. The office served a dual function. Acting as a trustee for the internee/enemy alien, the office and its agents also protected the interests of the creditors. The CEP would pay off an internee’s debts by selling his or her property or businesses. It also collected money owed to internees by others. Each accounting firm hired by the CEP would bill an internee for administrative costs even though internees did not ask for the CEP to be involved.

In this letter, the CEP is contacting Sauro regarding the collection of the $15 administration fee owing to the department. Comparable to ca. $250 today, Sauro was interned for less than four months.

This document forms part of a collection of documents and other materials donated by the Sauro family.